Which hen is which?

I think I have begun to distinguish between Milly, Molly and Mandy … one is easily identified at the moment, as she has no tail feathers … let’s call her Milly …

I think she’ll still stand out even when her tail grows back in again, as she has the most irregular comb. She is also the most vicious towards the Pekins (which probably means she is not top of the ex-batt pecking order).

The other two both have fairly regular combs … we’ll call this second hen Molly …

So this is Mandy …

At the moment you can tell them apart because Mandy has a white patch above her tail where she has some feathers missing. She is a rather different shape, too, but that’s not the easiest way to identify a hen on the move! The third point of her comb is slightly taller than the others … but I’m not sure that’s any easier to see!

The Hen House Archive

Our original hen keeping adventure came to an end in January 2013, when a fox took our entire brood of hens. But don’t let that put you off … you can find the story at The Hen House Archive where there are still lots of stories, photos, and information about keeping hens I hope you'll find useful.

HEN NEWS LATEST

March 2017 ... All change in the hen garden as the fruit cage run is retired in favour of an electric fence, the veg beds are relocated to put the hens on fresh ground, and the new girls arrive, Dorcas, Delilah and Deanna.

January 2017 ... Bird flu outbreak and all domestic foul are quarantined until the end of February.